County champions Essex have announced a one-year contract extension for all-rounder Ravi Bopara.

The England international has committed his future to his home county until the conclusion of the 2018 season.

The 32-year-old has appeared in 161 first-class, 140 List A and 131 T20 matches during his 16 years as a professional with the club so far, and will look to play an integral part in Essex’s title defence next year.

Commenting on his contract extension, Bopara said: “I am very happy to sign for another year and had no hesitations at all. I have been with the club since I was 11 years old and have loved every minute of it.

“The 2017 season was incredibly special and I believe we are in a good place to build on our Division One title. Hopefully we can continue to win trophies in the coming years and I believe personally I can continue to play a big part in that.”

New Essex head coach Anthony McGrath is thrilled to see the all-rounder sign for a further year and added: “Ravi is still an integral part of what we are trying to achieve as a club moving forward.

“He is an Essex man and is an excellent person to have around the dressing room with his years of cricketing experience around the world.

“He also made contributions across all formats last year with both bat and ball, and we hope he can continue to do that moving forward into 2018.”

*Young Essex batsman Dan Lawrence has been named in an England XI to play a two-day warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI in Perth, starting on Saturday.

Moeen Ali will captain the side and is the only member of the team beaten by 120 runs in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide to feature.

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